The Six Million Dollar Man
The Complete Season One
DVD
TimeLife

I recently had a chance to view the series The Six Million Dollar Man Season 1 on DVD. The classic show follows the adventures of former astronaut Colonel Steve Austin (Lee Majors), who was horribly injured after crashing an experimental airplane. Austin is rebuilt with bionic parts. He has a bionic arm, eye, and two bionic legs. He can run at incredible speeds, has superhuman strength in his bionic arm and can see over great distances.

Colonel Austin repays his debt to the people who built him by going on secret missions. I remember watching reruns of this show as a child and playing with my brother’s Steve Austin action figure. This DVD set brought back a lot of those memories. The Six Million Dollar Man was a fun, action-packed show. Some of the effects seem a little dated. There was a fight scene between Steve Austin and an alligator that looks hilarious now. However, the show still retains its charm.

I was also unaware that there were three pilot movies that preceded the first season. By watching all three pilot movies, it allows the viewer to witness the evolution of the concept. The “origin” film is very serious, but the second and third films have a lighter tone. The second film also introduces us to the character of Oscar Goldman, portrayed by actor Richard Anderson. Goldman and Austin are the only characters that appear in every episode of the first season. The dynamic between Goldman and Austin was also very interesting. Goldman is Austin’s boss, but he constantly disobeys him. Also, Goldman gives Austin a hard time, yet he also risks his life for Austin in several episodes. Anderson’s interaction with Lee Majors (Colonel Austin) kept the show anchored; in spite of all the fantastic locales and amazing occurrences, their “big brother, little brother” relationship seems very believable.

The special features also make this DVD set very appealing. The first package has featurettes on topics such as bionics and the Season 1 guest stars. However, there is a separately packaged set of bonus discs that includes even more featurettes, cast interviews, and the three reunion movies that starred Lee Majors and Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman). If you remember the show as a kid, or you’ve only just heard jokes about the cheesy sound effects (which are awesome), you should invest in this DVD set. Even after all these years, Steve Austin is still one of the coolest cyborgs around.